Oh, the Good Times We Had

  • Howard Yoshiura:  There are so many wonderful memories of UHS, that it would be difficult to pick out a favorite.  Some of the fondest have to be playing in the band with John Chong, Dennis Sugihara, Ken Chun, Jim Vine, James LaVine, Fred Witt, and Walt Fong, among many others as well. Of course there were those flag football, and softball games between Class of ’63, and Class of ’64 (Harvey Takemoto’s class) that we enjoyed every season for class bragging rights.
  • Janice Naguwa: Having such a small class that enabled everyone to know all the members of our class.  Stan’s favorite memory are the friends he made at UHS.
  • Melvin Choy:  Generally, playing sports, our Hi-Y club activities, “studying” at the library at night, and just hanging out with friends come to mind.
  • Naomi Kim: Having great teachers...Camping at Camp Erdman; getting together at Wada’s house; walking home to Fay’s house; catching rides to school with Barbara (Centeio) Yamashita and stopping at the gas station to fill her car and the attendant asking “Ethel?” - she answered “No, Barbara”...crack up!!!  Making friends for life...when we get together it is like we never left each other!
  • Diane Hosaka:  Some of my favorite memories are singing at school assemblies as part of the Four Angels, and singing in the choir with the chorus teacher whose false teeth flew out during a practice session.  I also remember some of our student teachers, Ms. Kunioka in the cafeteria, and trying to play basketball and golf in PE classes.  I remember home economics class because it was so silly learning to wash dishes (the right way).
  • Keith Racuya:  Senior year was a blast as I only had easy classes; then lunches with Miss Kunioka; College Inn. Playing football in the dark at Ala Moana Park. Cruising around the island at night. Mud slides at Tantalus; Hi-Y Destiny’s club. Senior camp at Camp Erdman (some nighttime activities few people knew about). Destiny’s sunrise service at Blowhole(spectacular!)  All the fun and crazy stuff.
  • Cathy Braun:  Weird as it sounds, I looked forward to working in the cafeteria as a break from tedious classes. A favorite class was math with the UICSM texts!! (Yes, I remember what UICSM stands for!)
  • Fred Witt:  My memory is that everyone in our class was friends. Some friends were naturally closer than others, but we were all friends, nevertheless. An enviable notion, especially in these days.
  • Jim Hallstrom: It isn't my French class; I would have to say my favorite memory is visiting with friends on the 2nd floor balcony before and between classes.
  • John Lee:  My fondest memory of UHS was how students from various soci-economic background were able to co-exist.  Will always treasure the closeness and friendship shared by all students.  To me the greatest value of UHS education is teaching me to get along with people from various backgrounds.  This has prepared me well to face the real world later.
  • Jade Young:  Favorite memory from UHS: Hiking the bamboo forest atop Tantalus; late night beach parties at Queen’s Surf, watching the stars, playing guitar music with John Takasaki and eating malasadas!  No other names to protect the guilty.  Crushes on the good looking guys from the Big Island working at the cafeteria; English Comp class with Bud Hauser learning to write pithy epigrams; Y-Teen dances, meeting my first “boyfriend” there and dancing cheek to cheek; loved French class which came in handy years later when I honeymooned in Paris, 1987.  Finally, Sr. Camp at Camp Erdman, Mokuleia – the boys vs. girls shaving cream and toothpaste fight – then jumping into the ocean to wash off the gooey stuff!  
  • Carolyn Goss: I have many wonderful memories of attending UHS and believe all of you, my classmates, made those days ones I looked forward to and enjoyed.
  • Sue Ann Lau: I’ll never forget Ricky playing the piano or dancing . It was also fun going to Saturday morning dance classes at Harry Kanada’s dance studio. I also remember Diane Yanagisako buying records from my father’s store every week.
  • Sandra O’Hara: Camp Erdman!
  • Steve Murakami: Cutting out from school to go surfing at Makapuu, Sandy's and Waikiki.  Also, going across to the lunch wagon to eat lunch at Gracy's.  Senior Camp was great. Remembered those rowdy guys and gals smoking in our cabin...bad influence.
  • Cheryl Olsen: Working on the newspaper Ke Kupina’i junior and senior years; eating saimin at College Inn after school; smelling those fat, wonderful smelling carnation leis at proms; making kim chee and binding books in Mrs. Yang’s 6th grade class.
  • Frank Yap:  Being a member of the Destiny’s Hi-Y club, shooting pool with Jim Levine, Jim Oda, Bill Beppu and Dwight Miyauchi come to mind.  The 7th & 8th grade “canteens” in the Barn, which solidified the notion that continued attendance at an all-boys school could be stifling.  Having a student teacher in senior study hall wearing an ROTC uniform with the rank of cadet colonel, then years later serving under that same individual who now was a one-star, was another life experience.
  • Vince Lee: Senior camp at Camp Erdman.  Mudsliding at Tantulus.  Doing pushups at Mr. Ed Yee's class.
  • Walter Fong:  I enjoyed immensely the High school band classes and also the activities of the Hi-Y Destiny's club.  Generally speaking though, I was always impressed with the great classmates at the school.  I remember that there were very few, if any, conflicts, and a genuine respect we all had for each other.  Later in life I would come to the realization that I never hung out with a more intelligent group.
  • Bob Deforest:  Indoctrinating the new student teachers, Senior Camp, learning journalism from working on Ke Kupina’I, taking French from the teacher from Tahiti, meeting Vernon Kajikawa the first day in school – he was a good friend and helped me get settled in school way out of my comfort zone, and congenial classmates (we had no bullying).
  • Kaori O’Connor:  Standing on the balcony, looking out towards Waikiki and imagining we could see the surf. Or maybe, back then, we really could. The last day of UICSM, hurrah! The joy has never left me. Seeking refuge in Mr Kyselka’s office, and every second of the wonderful John Spade’s English classes.
  • Carolyn Adler:  One of my fondest memories of UHS was working in the cafeteria with Ms. Kunioka the high priestess of the joint and her two fun assistants Jean & Doris.  What a riot!
  • Bill Beppu:  Going on a hike up Wililinui Ridge with Ricky AuHoy when he heard Mickey Mantle hit his 60th home run on his transistor radio. Surfing, diving and playing pinball at Varsity Bowl, sometimes when school was in session. Torching for tako and weke with Keith Tanaka and others from his French class.
  • Ricky AuHoy:   Playing the piano.  UHS band.  Bamboo fishing with classmates at Diamond Head.  Hiking with classmates above Wilhilmina Rise.   
  • Linda Mae Onomoto:  Skipping class to go to the beach.  Days at Makapuu, Canoes.  Surfing with Lynne O'Connor and Jade(?)  Senior camp, of course.  Hearing Tommy Byrnes shuffling down the hallways.   
  • Vernon Kajikawa:  I have three:  8th grade camp and our commando raids with Mr. Choo; senior camp; and the Destiny’s doing the “Hukilau” hula for entertainment at the UHS’s Aloha Week Dance in 1962.  Carolyn (Holu) Smith was our hula instructor and Keith Racuya stole the show (although our antics are not politically correct these days)!
  • Tom Byrnes:  I remember Camp Erdman our senior year.  Our Cabin had a live electrical wire hanging out of the wall.  If you were touching the metal bed frame when someone touched the wire to said frame, you got a little zing.  We created a line of people from the bed frame out our Cabin door and began soliciting various passers-by to shake hands.  Once we had a firm hold of some naïve fish….we touched the wire to the frame.  Everyone got shocked; but WE all new it was coming.  I remember Mr. Will was especially suspicious of our attempt to get him to shake hands.
  • Clay Ching:  I distinctly recall how nice it was to be part of such a close knit group!  We all knew each other --- which I later found out isn’t the case at larger schools --- and in many cases knew where each one lived.  I remember one of our student teachers revealing to us that our best friends in life would be our high school friends.  It wasn’t apparent back then, but has proven to be so true!
  • Miles Nakashima:  The closeness and spirit of cooperation in everything we did always stands out in my memory.
  • John Chong:  The best thing about attending the University school system is that I got to make lifetime friends from people I met there.  UHS prepared me well for UH and I have a wealth of memories from my years there.
  • Dayton Auyong:  These are not necessary favorites but:  Fay, Tahi and Darcy outracing all the boys in elementary school; working for Miss Kunioka in the Cafeteria; all the new classmates that invaded us in 7th grade...they were so "big," "athletic," and "smart;" Destiny's Hi Y...I sold a lot of sweet bread; I felt that I was a member of a large family.
  • Dennis Sugihara:  Too many to pick one, but a few great lifetime friends; Destiny’s; Miss Kunioka; Senior Camp.
  • Ken Chun:  Getting a mosquito bite above my eye at Camp Erdman...not sure if it was 8th grade or senior camp.  Amazing how well Nair can work on Mel Choy.  Making kim chee in Mrs. Yang's.  Miss Kunioka's mac salad. Tommy Burns snoring behind the curtains.  Freddy Witt with rubber-cement boogers dangling out of his nostrils.  And Cathy Coulter still has no idea who I am...I knew I should have sat next to Karen Smith.  Mrs. Disney couldn't get me discount tickets.  I had Mr. Wagner believing I was a Korean War orphan for a little while.
  • Glenn Bauer:  I guess it was being on the track team, and hiking with Don Fox, Tahi Mottl, Susan Vaught, Clayton Ching, Bill Beppu, and others.  I remember climbing Puu Konahuanui, the summit of the Koolau Mts. with them.   And I suppose, Camp Erdman ranked up there as fun.  I also enjoyed hanging around with Will Kyselka.  I found out later that he was a geologist by training, and had many stories to tell.
  • Ann Slaby:  One of my favorite memories is from Mr. Haehnlen’s 7-208 class on “Global Understanding”.  We "visited" 30 different countries.  One of the student teachers built various displays in the corner of the class.  I clearly remember the Taj Mahal version.  I suspect it opened my curiosity about the world.  The residence I felt most at home in while an undergraduate at UCB was the International House where half the residents were foreign students. (I am still in touch with many of them) I suspect my comfort there had a lot to do with the cultural diversity in Hawaii, reflected in our class. We had such fun breaking in student teachers.  But most of all, I enjoyed the others in our class. 
  • Lambert Thom:  Skipping class; snacking at College Inn and the YMCA.

Camp Erdman - A Pause Before Parting